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' 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 E. RANKIN. MACHINE FOR RIPPING GIGARBTTES.

Patented Aug. 10,1897.

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(No Model) 3 SheetsShet 2. RANKIN. MACHINE FOR RIPPING CIGARETTES Patented Aug. 10,1897.

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No. 587,858 Patented Aug. 10,1897.

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UNITED STATES PAT NT O FIC ERNEST RANKIN, or LONDON, ENGLAND.

MACHINE FOR RIPPING CIGARETTES.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 587,858, dated August 10, 1897. Application filed February 8, 1897- Serial No. 622,508. (No model.) Patented in England December 9, 1896, No- 27,685.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ERNEST RANKIN, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 10 and 11 Stonecutter Street, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Ripping Cigarettes, (for which a patent has been granted in Great Britain, No. 27,685, dated December 9, 1896,) of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification thereof.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for ripping cigarettes, and has for its object to construct a machine for removin g the paper from imperfect cigarettes without injury to the tobacco. To efiect this, the cigarettes are placed in a suitable hopper, which may have a cylinder at the lower end to feed them onto an endless band. This band at a certain period of its travel passes nally. Upon the further movement of the band aforesaid the tobacco is discharged from the band by the same being caused to pass over a suitable guide-pulley, while the paper is retained upon the band and afterward removed by a circular brush, which revolves in contact therewith. The band during a portion of its movement is immersed in water to cause the paper to adhere thereto. I In order that this invention may be the bet ter understood, the accompanying drawings have been appended, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a plan of same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged end view with the hopper and cylinder in section. Fig. 4 is a view showing the manner of holding the cigarettes while passing under the knife. Fig. 5 is a plan of part of the guide through which the belt passes. Fig. 6 is a side elevation illustrating the action of cutting the paper. Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of an alternative arrangement for holding and feeding the cigarettes onto the endless belt. Fig. b is a front view of Fig. 7, showing the arrangement of the hopper relatively to the belt and also the means employed to prevent more than one cigarette being carried forward by the said belt.

cylinder J.

Like letters denote like the drawings.

A is the frame of the machine, which may be cast or otherwise formed, and which has formed upon the vertical portion thereof a bearing to support one end of a spindle or shaft B, a standard B carrying the opposite end. Upon the front end of the shaft aforesaid is secured a sheave 0, over which passes a belt or cord transmitting motion to a sheave E, to which is attached another sheave F. These sheaves E and F are mounted as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Motion is transmitted from the last-mentioned sheave by a belt H to a sheave I, secured to the spindle of the This cylinder, which may be of wood, is carried by suitable bearings placed upon the sides of the hopper K at its lower end, a portion of the hopper being removed to admit the cylinder, as shown in Fig. Upon the periphery of the cylinder are formed longitudinal flutes or recesses L, which receive the cigarettes, the bottom of the hop-' per being inclined, thereby causing them to' roll down until stopped by the cylinder. hopper K is carried by the bracket M, which is bolted or otherwise attached to the frame A.

To prevent more than one cigarette being carried over by the cylinder, a roller N is provided, which is operated by means of the sheave 0, also secured to the spindle of the cylinder, over which passes a belt or cord 0',

parts throughout The transmitting the motion to the roller N by the sheave 0 attached to the spindle thereof. The roller N' is carried in suitable bearings placed upon the sides of the hopper and is situated .immediately over the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 3.

At the back of the sheave O and upon the shaft B is secured a pulley P, over which passes an endless band P of any suitable material. The band P is so arranged as to catch the cigarettes as they are discharged from the hopper, a guide P being provided to insure their delivery, which guide consists of a piece of sheet metal attached to the frame A by means of screws or equivalent means and passing under the band, as shown in Fig. 3. This is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, in which the dotted lines are shown below the upper edge of the pulley P, which is in the same horizontal plane as the lower face of the band. The front end of the guide is provided with two upwardly-inclined fingers P which enter the recesses Q formed in the cylinder J, and which recesses are cut somewhat deeper than the flutes for the cigarettes, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. By this means the delivery of the cigarette upon the endless band is insured. Two other pulleys R R are provided. One, R, is carried upon an extension of the frame A, as shown, and the other, R, is carried upon a swing-bracket R at the back of the frame, a radial slot being formed therein to allow of the free adjustment of the tension of the band at this point immersed in the water contained in the tank S, which is cast upon or may be formed separately and at tached in any suitable manner to the frame A.

T is a guide carried upon a bracket attached to the frame near the top and so arranged that the band shall pass thereth-rough. The guide is of channeled form :and is provided with sides which are contracted at or near the center, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, thereby cansin g the band to partly surround the cigarette and hold the same while the paper is being cut,as shown in Figs. 4a-nd 6. Over the guide and placed centrally therewith is a circular knifeu. Thisknifeis mounteduponaspindle it, supported by a bracket U which is bolted to the frame A at the back. The knife is so arranged thatfthe edge thereof shall just cut the upper part of the paper upon'the cigarette without injury to the tobacco: Motion is impartedto the knife by means of a sheave V, mounted upon the shaft B, a belt or cord communicating the motion to another sheave V. Upon the spindle of the knife is a guide partly surrounding the knife and carried by the bracket U After leaving the guide T the band assumes a flat form. In contact with the band is a circular rotating brush g, which is carried by a swing-arm y, motion being imparted thereto by the sheaves y and y one sheave, 1 being upon the spindle of the brush and the other upon the spindle of the knife, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Instead of the sheaves and belt, by which the cylinder J is operated I may substitute a worm-wheel upon the spindle thereof, driven by a worm placed upon the end of the shaft B.

In lieu of the hopper constructed as shown in Figs. 1, '2, and 3 I may use the hopper shown in Figs. 7 and 8, from whic-hit will be seen that the hopper K is provided with mouthpiece K and is placed immediately over the band or belt P and secured to the frameA by means of the plate a, through which pass screws or equivalents b. To prevent more than one cigarette being carried forward by the belt, a guard c is provided, and consists of a piece of sheet metal secured to the frame A in any suitable manner and adjusted at a suitable height from the belt P. This guard is curved upward near the lateral outlet of the hopper, so

that while more than one cigarette may proj ect laterally from the hopper only onewill be allowed to pass between it and the band. It

is obvious that by using this alternative arrangement the number of working parts is greatly reduced and the cylinder J, roll N, and sheaves O, E, F, I, O, and 0 with their respective belts, arevno longer required.

The action of the machine is as follows:

Motion being imparted to the shaft B is trans- I mitted to the various parts by their respective v sheaves and belts and the cylinder J, rotating, 7

carries a cigarette over until. the same is caughtby the fingers upon the guide P when it becomes free of the flute or recess Land rolls down onto the band, as shown, Fig. 3. The

Imovement of the band carries the cigarette Q forward, and upon entering the guide T the f 1 band is caused by the contraction of thesides thereof to turn up and hold the cigarette dur 'ing the operation of cutting, Fig. 4. 1 free of the knife, the band assumes its origia When nal position, and, being wet, causes the paper to adhere thereto, leaving the tobacco free to fall when the band passes over 'the pulley R, any suitable receptacle being provided to catch it. the band until it reaches the brush Y, by which it is removed.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and The paper remains upon in what manner the same is to be performed,

I declare that what I claim is 1. In combination, the band, the cutting-. knife, the guide for curling the band up about the cigarette for the cutting action and means for moistening the band whereby after the paper is slit and leaves the cutter it will stick to the band and be carried away from the tobacco which is free to be discharged from the band, substantially as described.

2. In combination, the cutter, the guide, arranged adjacent to the edge of the cutter, the band passing through the guide, the tank for moistening the band, and the brush for removing the papers which have stuck to the band after being slit, said brush being arranged adjacent to the band substantially as described. r

3. In combination, the hopper, the band passing along the side thereof, the feed-cylinder between the hopper and the band, the

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